Device for expanding the uppers of boots or shoes



(No Model.) 8 W. F. WELLMAN.

DEVICE FOR EXPANDING THE UPPERS OF BOOTS ORSHOES-v Patented Nov. 6

N. PEI'ERS. PhoIu-Lulhngrzpher. wamn mu c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD F. WELLMAN, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY R. THOMPSON, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FOR EXI ANDING THE UPPERS OF BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,384, dated November 6, 1888.

Application filed April 23, 1888. Serial No.271,fi53. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. WELL- MAN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Device for Use in Lining Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a perspective, of my device. Fig. 3 shows the same in use. Fig; 4 is a modification. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

In putting inner-sole linings into boots and shoes, especially into Congress boots, much trouble has been hitherto experienced because of the difficulty of keeping the ankle and leg portion of the upper sufficiently expanded to enable the workman to put the linings in place without undue Waste of time and without daubing the inner surface of the ankle and leg portion of the upper with paste from the innersole linings, which are commonly pasted on one side before being put in the boot or shoe.

The object of my invention is to produce a device which will keep the ankle and leg portion of the upper of a boot or shoe expanded while the inner-sole lining is being placed on the inner sole; and my invention consists in a pair of levers which are fulcrumed on each other and provided with projections adapted to engage the leg and ankle portion of the upperand expand it when the levers are manipulated.

In the drawings, A A are the levers, ful

crumed on each other at a. The projections 3 5 a from the levers (when the device is used as shown in Fig. 3) engage the inner surface of the ankle and leg portion of the upper b, and when the head portions 1 of the levers are moved apart this portion of the upper is ex- 0 panded, thereby enabling the workman to readily insert theinner-sole liningthrough the footopening of the boot or shoe.

The handle portions 2 of the levers may be kept expanded by hand, if desired; but I pre- 5 fer to use some sort of mechanical devicesay a link, ct-for that purpose.

It is of considerable importance that the projections a should be of sufficient length to reach from the top of the boot or shoe well 50 inwardly toward the inner sole in order to expand the ankle and leg portions of the upper from the foot-opening downward.

In Fig. 4 the projections a are thin metallic plates instead of being pins, as in the other 5 5 figures.

Levers A A and the projections are readily cast, as will be plain to all skilled in the art.

What I claim is The herein-described device made up of levers A A, fulcrumed together and provided with head portions 1 1, having depending proj ections a, substantially as described.

WILLARD F. \VELLMAN.

W'itnesses:

EDWARD S. BEACH, JOHN R. Snow. 

